The library is open 9am to 5pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9am to 1pm on Wednesday.
24 hour access is available with a valid Trust ID card allowing Library members can access the Library's books and journals and use the computers in the E-Learning Room outside staffed hours.

Location

The Library is located in the Education Centre at Parndon Hall, a Victorian building at the bottom of the Princess Alexandra Hospital site in Harlow.

Who can join?

All staff employed by the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust and local primary care organisations

Students on placement at the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

Doctors on clinical attachments with any of the above organisations (reference-only access)

Other healthcare professionals, on application to the Library Manager (reference-only access for those based outside the East of England).

During our opening hours, Library staff are available to help you find, obtain and organise information to help you do your job, improve services, continue your learning and development, and teach others.
Enquiry points are located in the main Library at the front of Parndon Hall or you can phone or email us.

Borrowing

You can view our catalogue online at http://www.tinyurl.com/pahlibrary. Contact the Library if you would like a book sent to you in the internal post. You can sign in with your user ID and PIN to place a hold, or ask the Library to do it for you. You'll be contacted as soon as the item is returned.

Take the item/s you wish to borrow, together with your library card, to the library desk for issue.
Return loans directly to the library, via internal mail or in the book return box at Parndon Hall reception area on the PAH site.
Up to 8 items can be borrowed at any one time.
Items can be renewed up to 10 times by phone, e-mail, on the web catalogue or in person, providing no other Library member is waiting for them.

Study facilities

Desks for private study are available in the main Library.

Computers are available in the Library and the Computer Room. All computers have Microsoft Office, clinical applications and access to the Internet.

Internet access is available from our computers for work and study purposes. All our computers are on the PAH network and require a password to access the Internet. If you do not have a password from a local organisation (PAH, EPUT or NHS West Essex), library staff can log you on with a temporary password – please ask in the library office.

Literature searching

Library staff can undertake a comprehensive professional search for information for you. Please contact the Library with your requirements.

Training

Training in information skills is provided to groups or (more usually) as a one-to-one session. Contact the Library to arrange a session.

Document delivery

If you need a book or a journal article which is not in the Library, it can be requested for you from another library.

Complete a request form for each item you need. Please supply as much information as possible.

Requests are free.

Please only request items you really need: some can be expensive to obtain.

Please allow up to 7 days for your request to be fulfilled, although most items arrive well within that timeframe. If your need is urgent, please let Library staff know when you place your request.

Other facilities

The Library has a scanner, printers, and CD/DVD writers, attached to computers in the Computer Room.

A photocopier isalso availble in the Library. All staff based on site are requested to do their own photocopying.